Shinji is Weapon X
by Revenant2099
Summary: The world had rebooted after the Third Impact, a boy promises a girl to return,... BUT,...
1. PROLOGUE

_Disclaimer: This is a Fanfiction based on the Anime Series Neon Genesis Evangelion and some of Marvel's X-Men Origins: Wolverine fused in one timeline. I do not own the characters._

**RATED M** ... _for Sexual Content, Violence and the like_ ...

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><p><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji is... Weapon X <strong>

**PROLOGUE: Nightmares, Nightmares,...**

**Straggler Town**

**Mindanao, Philippines**

**0300H**

On a makeshift futon, a young man in his early twenties sweating heavily with half-thrust breaths and suppressed screams thrashed about violently; as deep within the throws of his sleep, he is once again haunted by ghosts of both the past and the present. It took a good four minutes until his mind could no longer hold in the torture, jump-started and kicked his physical form to wakefulness. The young man's body instinctively jackknifed, his form dropped into his normal savage attack-ready position. Relaxing a few moments later; upon the realization that it was another night with those twisted dreams. Still breathing heavy, the young man realized that his claws, made of the strongest steel the human mind could forge were extended fully. These claws of steel that gleamed in the moonlight that was pouring in abundance into his "sleep-hole" as he would fondly call it, claws that were used in every mission that he was given by his former controllers- and those missions were those kinds that you just did not care for unnecessary violence.

The young man's breathing by now had returned to normal; he flopped down on his crumpled futon, and looked around. The sight before him would not be quite pleasant to normal people, but in his case he just did not care. His shelter had once been a home for a family, abandoned because of the civil war that had taken over after the third impact wherein the survivors of the cataclysmic phenomenon turned on each other for survival. It was like the once proud human race had been degraded to the level of becoming uncivilized savages. In this war torn place, this young man oddly enough found shelter. After a quick scan of his room, his vision returned to the claws still extended; staring blankly at the artificially imbued blades. The gleam from the moonlight reflecting on the shiny surfaces of the blades started bringing memories; memories in which he was trying to forget. Yet those memories still haunt his battered conscience, though he had gotten over the tremendous guilt; the memories still echo through. He stared at the blades before him for a couple of moments before willingly retracting the six blades and fixed a pillow against the wall behind him and rested his back. He was quite sure that sleep would no longer befall him, he reached out from his position to a familiar place to his left and retrieved a pouch which contained an oil lighter and a pack of Camel. Taking one from the pack and lighted it, he took a long drag and lazily blew a billow of smoke.

_"I'll just go to the Den later then..."_ he muttered to himself. _"That might get some things off my back temporarily."_

The Den was a drinking place, a small establishment wherein you could find the lawless and the rough survivors with enough money to spare. Mostly mercenaries or the average straggler that had returned from Instrumentality litter the place and throwing whatever they could spare to drown their misery at the bottom of a glass.

_"Yeah, that should be enough." _He softly spoke as his thoughts slowly drifted like the smoke from the cigarette on his lips. He stayed in this position, calmly puffing smoke and staring blankly into the far wall opposite from where he had retired. The young but battle-scarred young man continued to stake blankly as memories from another time flowed through; memories that oddly enough would drive him nuts a few years ago. He stayed contemplating until sunlight replaced the gloomy aura that was brought in by the moon to his room.

**Straggler Town, Outskirts**

**Mindanao, Philippines**

**1000H**

Two men in black suits with emotionless faces turned their backs to an old man they have just tipped with a thick wad of US bills that made the grouch to sing like a tenor. They entered the lead of two black SUVs that were parked nearby and casually sped away towards the town center, inside the lead SUV were four men in black suits and stoic expressions. Neither men talked, though each of them were alert for unforeseen events, the one seated beside the driver fished out a cellphone from the inside pocket of his coat and dialled a number then pressed the receiving end of the gadget to his right ear.

_ "Commander, this is Satoshi. We have a location and a witness that positively ID'd the subject and are currently on our way to requiring the target."_ The agent spoke in a cold tone. He then regretted turning over his report as the person on the other line was almost screaming with excitement that his eardrums stung.

"Yes, Ma'am. We are on our way, we will call in if we have acquired the subject." The agent replied calmly then restored his phone to where he previously kept the gadget. He shook his head in disbelief at the sudden outburst from his superior. Agent Satoshi withdrew the folder which contains every written data about the person that the organization had been searching for the past nine years. Opening the white cardboard folder with the usual red ink-stamped TOP SECRET on its facing leaf, he gave the file another quick run through; hoping that he did not miss a detail...

_SUBJECT NAME : IKARI, SHINJI_

_ AGE : 23 years (present)_

_ SEX: MALE_

_ DESIGNATION: 3rd CHILD, Pilot – UNIT 01_

_ MILITARY RELATED TRAINING: None_

_ SPECIAL SKILLS: None_

_ TALENTS: Music; Cello_

_ REMARKS:_

_Subject is withdrawn and mentally unstable, caution is advised when confronting subject; might try to escape and evade ANY personnel from NERV._

_Subject went AWOL eight years ago; accounts and statements point to subject's lack of self-esteem but the possibility of capture by third-party organizations still stands._

_Reacquiring subject unharmed is TOP priority._

The agent then closed the file and replaced it back in the SUV's glove-compartment then turned to look at the view from the front window of the vehicle. Surprised that one person with the said characteristics ended up in the last place in anyone "civilized" would want to tread, He continued his survey of the area; shanties that were made up of almost anything that could pass as a wall or roof lined the streets, vendors that sold kebabs which you would not want to know where the meat came from, and every man, woman and child that strolled along the dust and beat-up road had the glint of steel in their eyes; taken from the harshness of living each day- If it was called _living_.

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><p>Finally,... done editing,...<p> 


	2. Chapter 1: Memories

_Disclaimer: This is a Fanfiction based on the Anime Series Neon Genesis Evangelion and some of Marvel's Wolverine: Weapon X fused in one timeline. I do not own the characters._

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><p><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji is….. Weapon X <strong>

_Nine years have passed since Lilith-Rei had "cleansed" the world, yet instead of creating the world anew; the supposedly divine being chose to let the humans suffer by letting them continue to live. The ones that willed to return were allowed another chance of living in the mortal plane, those who were weak in heart were recycled for the creation of another being. Yet the returning survivors had returned to a place devoid of life, destroyed as if a thousand nuclear devices had ignited simultaneously. But as humans do, they persevered and lived to re-create their once glorious civilization. Thus, factions were formed and as humans always do, WAR. _

_The survivors that had formed groups had once again waged war amongst themselves, to determine which faction had the right to control of what was left of the previous earth. Scavenging amongst the ruins and eliminating lesser groups that are deemed as hindrances to the stronger ones. It went on like this, until four great factions arose from the chaos. These factions are the: _

_"Spartans" – the remnants of the USA, which had been able to recover pre-instrumentality technology of their army; _

_"Arthur's Legion" – former inhabitants of Europe that fused themselves and innovated every piece of tech they could get their hands on._

_"Sons of the Black Sun" – A group of fanatics that were convinced that they were the new divine descendants of the being in the black sun that spawned humanity; _

_And the former NERV personnel that had linked-up once more and restored peace and order in the whole of Japan using the technology that had caused all this chaos for the betterment of mankind._

**CHAPTER 1: Memories…**

**Swimming Pool 1, Recreational Area**

**NERV Headquarters**

**New-Tokyo 3, Japan**

A lone figure in a red two-piece bikini lay reclined on one of the poolside recliners, staring off-world as if in a trance. Her thoughts were far back in time, tears beginning to form in her blue eyes as every time frame flipped through her mind. It was until that specific time that she could no longer hold it back, she shot upright from her position and buried her face in both her hands. Then drew her legs and curled up in a fetal position, tears were now flowing freely from her eyes as her immensely intelligent mind played the memories as vividly as it could muster.

"_I'll be back, I promise you,… I just have to check on something at the apartment, but I'll come back for you._" Those were his words, those words that she had clung to until the sun had faded and returned. But , he never came back. It was until a NERV patrol had spotted her and dragged her to the geofront. It was the same geofront that she had stayed pre-instrumentality. Oddly enough, the place she thought that would drive her once more to hell was that same place that would help her recuperate, or did she? –it was what? eight years ago when he said those words, she could not believe that time would pass so swiftly.

Yet she still remembers those words as clearly as the lines on her newfound favourite TV show. She sobbed quietly then forcefully wiped the tears that had streaked on her cheeks. Shakily, she stood from where she had been reclining and made her way to the edge of the pool. A dive into the pool's cool water might douse her rage heated body and refresh her head. With this in thought, she positioned herself on the pool's edge and moments later; her body arced like an arrow towards the water and afterwards was cutting across the pool like a knife. She really was the athletic type, and the years had blessed her graciously. Her body, as inherent in the human female DNA had developed fully and in every angle, she excelled with flying colors. It was as if, she had been left untouched by the events that had happened before humanity melted away and were sucked-in Lilith-Rei's chicken egg.

_Meanwhile, some floors up…_

**Central Dogma, Operations Bridge**

**NERV Headquarters**

Misato Katsuragi, who preferred to retain her former title as the Operations Officer of the reconstructed NERV paced back and forth on the deck of the the control room, pausing briefly to stare at the over-sized holographic view-screed across the bridge. She had been in this kind of contemplative state for the last ten minutes from receiving Agent Satoshi's call. The three ever present deck-bunnies had already half-turned their swivel chairs to look at their Sub-commander, raising their eyebrows as they have no idea what was running through her head. Misato could be an air-head sometimes, brave and calculating during a combat situation; yet all of those traits suddenly left her at this moment.

"For the love of GOD Misato!" Ritsuko Akagi calmly stated, "You have been doing that for the past four minutes!"

"Rits!" Misato turned to her scientist friend "I'm just so excited for his return, I just don't know how to start at the same time, I'm anxious to hear his reasons for leaving."

"We don't know that yet, Misato." Ristuko stated a matter-of-factly "He might not agree to return, I mean; after all the years," the blond scientist's eyes narrowed slightly "Why now?"

Misato pondered her friend's words slowly, each word sank in and felt her heart sink. True, they had found him but whether or not he would willingly return was beyond their comprehension. She had truly hoped that it was that easy. Hearing a tired sigh, she slowly looked up to Ritsuko who had already poised herself on a swivel chair, her long and slender legs still covered with those brown stockings crossed in a very feminine number four.

"And; if he did return, how would she take it?" The blonde haired scientist flatly stated. But her words had the desired effect, Misato slapped her right palm on her forehead comically and then proceeded to muse her hair.

Then silence followed, no one spoke a word. Even the deck bunnies turned to their designated consoles and assumed to run systems checks yet the truth, they were digesting Ristuko's words. Makoto Hyuga particularly shifted his glasses as his memories flashed before his eyes.

[_Makoto's Flashback_]

_Seven years ago…._

_Lt Makoto Hyuga along with seven other NERV Guards were doing their routine patrol along Tokyo-03, it had been close to a year of conducting these routine patrols purposely for rescuing people that had "popped" out from the LCL sea. Under the lead of Makoto, they had wandered far-off from their designated search area which was along the shores of Tokyo-03 to what was formerly the Residential Area of the City. Each team member took in the scenery which was rather heart breaking, they passed a long stretch of levelled apartments from the wake of SEELE's attack. _

_Makoto paused to view the scene before him, looking for signs of life among apartment buildings which were still deemed "passable" as a temporary shelter. Some buildings were either levelled or missing some floors, yet some still retained rooms which could house an individual or a small group from the harshness of the "new" world. Then a shout from one of his men pulled him back to reality…._

_"Sir! I think you need to take a look at this!" one of his team members motioned to him with his head. _

_Makoto moved towards his team mate who was standing near a broken electrical post, along a street corner then turned to where he indicated with his head. What the young lieutenant saw made his heart jump, as almost fifty meters up from where they were standing he saw another of his team mates arguing with an all too familiar red-head._

_"Ishi and I had taken the liberty to scout ahead sir, when we found her." the Guard next to Makoto stated "We tried to talk to her and take her in custody, but she won't budge. I took the initiative to run back here and inform you sir,"_

_Without looking towards the soldier beside him, Makoto rushed towards Ishi and Asuka, Ishi who was luckily wearing the standard NERV issued Force Protection Equipment as he was already being assaulted by the German girl with a two-by-four. _

[_End of Flashback_]

The thought had somewhat affect the young lieutenant, it struck the exact point as to what Ritsuko is implying. Makoto remembered Asuka's fierceness that day, as she defended her ground. Ishi had tried to talk her down, but she wouldn't listen, Asuka would scream and swing the two-by-four she had in a deadly arc- thrice hitting Ishi on his head or rather helmet. It had taken them all day to convince the fiery red-head to come with them, it would probably lasted until the next day if Makoto hadn't called Misato who had sped towards their location in a "borrowed" NERV Humvee taking a speed that would put F-22 Raptors to shame.

It was Misato's consoling and probably their trust for one another that Asuka finally caved-in, and they discovered that she had been waiting there for a day and a half for Shinji's return. It was also at that moment that Makoto witnessed Misato's tears flowed like rivers as Asuka's words hit her, that Shinji and her had been wandering across Tokyo-03 for almost a year, moving from abandoned shelter to another and surviving like dogs on whatever goods left undisturbed after 3rd Impact.

The glasses-wearing tech reclined on his swivel chair with a long look on his eyes. He felt pity, pity on the children that were once too distant from each other and were impossible to be within each others' presence had matured and learned to trust and even come to the point of loving each other. The most heart-shredding fact was that the bond of love that the children had shared during those times was shattered due to Shinji's leaving for reasons unknown. Asuka had taken it as treachery, the love and compassion that had blossomed in her heart might have turned int hatred of immense proportions.

Shaking his head lightly to clear the melodrama going about his head, Makoto returned to his console; pausing briefly to pass a glance at Major Katsuragi who has now sat on another swivel chair and was having a chat with Dr. Akagi.

_... and in another part of the facility ..._

**NERV Cafeteria,..**

"...Achoo!..." Asuka turned a slight pink as she suddenly sneezed, then the thought of somebody talking behind her back came into thought which she brushed off.

"Silly superstitions,.." the German red-head muttered in her breath, then returned to her food. She had ordered cheese macaroni from the counter, though a little bland to her taste; it was better for the moment.

"Bless You!" a familiar voice rang.

Asuka's head snapped to source of the voice, seeing the face brought light to her face. She had wondered whatever happened to...

"HIKARI!" Asuka bolted up and rushed her bestfriend and encased her in a crushing bearhug.

"EeK! Asuka, I c-c-can't breath..." Hikari stated between breaths.

The German instantly released her hug yet let her left hand stay on her friend's right shoulder as she scoped her long lost friend. Hikari had blossomed to be a beautiful woman, her hips had widened slightly and her legs had grown longer and shapely. Her skin had tanned a fraction, and her freckles had lessened greatly. Hikari had grown more curvy from the last time they had been together, and this was further accented by the form-fitting Nurse's Uniform she had on. Asuka's troubles had dissipated instantly upon seeing her friend, and it moments she dragged to where she had been sitting. Both women sat on the opposite sides of the long cafeteria table facing each other, smiling childishly at each other then after which an animated conversation ensued.

"My God, Hikari! You've grown so much!" Asuka beamed proudly "Omigod, this is the best thing that has happened so far!"

Hikari on the otherhand blushed a slight red, then laughed shyly. She returned the favor to the German by giving her own compliments, yet she had noticed that though Asuka had grown dangerously gorgeous; there had been dark circles forming around her eyes as well as her deep blue orbs had somewhat hinted great sorrow. Hikari decided to play her cards and tossed a random question at the woman across the table.

"I saw your billboard on my way here." Hikari blushing a deep crimson. "Jeez! i could never wear something like that expose myself to the world!"

Aside from being retained and re-assigned as a pilot on one of the new Series Nine - Combat Biomechanical Armors which had replaced the Evangelion Series, Asuka divided her work time from NERV R&D and being a Celebrity. She had become one of the brightest Movie stars on the outside world, and second brightest mind in NERV. Askua smiled dangerously knowing that Hikari was referring to her Skin-Care product endorsement. It was an anti-aging cream courtesy of Hisashi Pharma. She had worn a red two piece bikini that screamed "_Look at my body and dream of it!_".

"Mmmm?!,.. I have a gorgeous body with dangerous curves." Asuka blunty spat, "Its not a shame to flaunt it."

"Eeek!" Hikari girlishly squealed, "I thought you shielded your body from Perverts?"

Asuka just laughed heartily and made a face, then thoroughly scoped her friend.

"You're a nurse?" the red-head stated questioningly, "It suits you perfectly! I won't shocked if we would have patients who would intentionally maim themselves just to get a check-up from you." Her statement however had the desired effect, Hikari was blushing furiously.

"Seriously, Asuka" Hikari's voiced stuttered, "I had been stationed at New Kagoshima ever since. Touji's been reassigned here, so I kinda followed. I was overjoyed to know that you have returned from Germany."

Asuka faked a smile at her friend. Oddly enough, of all NERV personnel, pre-Instrumentality and as Asuka's term for it the "Fresh Meats in the Grinder"; only a handful of people knew the real reason behind 3rd Impact and how Shinji and herself were involved. Though it was the human side of Ayanami Rei that had influenced the recreation of humanity in the end, it was as if Rei had cursed only the _"important"_ personnel of NERV to retain the knowledge of the entire truth behind 3rd Impact. All others around the world seemed to remember that a great invasion force from another galaxy had stormed down the planet and only the might of the Evangelions as well as Earth's Nuclear arsenal had held the invaders at bay at the cost of loosing half of humanity's population. Though the _"Sons of the Black Sun"_ only remembered the appearance of Lilith's Egg, they seem to have vague memories of being spawned from a deity living inside.

The mere fact the Hikari and even Touji had always thought that Asuka had left for Germany though she never did; solidified the idea that except for the chosen, no one else knew the exact truth.

["Where the hell did that doll get these stupid scenarios anyways."] Asuka mentally cursed.

"You sill follow that bag of testosterone around Hikari?" Asuka questioned half-heartedly, "After all these years?"

"Actually, Asuka? Touji and I are already a couple." Hikari replied.

A smirk played on Asuka's face, which turned into an evil grin. "Finally, Yet I still don't see what you have seen on the dumb mule!"

This was followed by a very animated girl-talk; all the while Hikari noticed behind Asuka's cheerful facade, a pang of hatred lingered in her eyes. Then...

"Asuka? Had Shinji shown himself already?." Hikari warily said, whilst prepared for an impending verbal and a possible physical assault.

Automatically, the red-head's smiling face dropped. Devoid of emotion, yet her eves flashed like a wolf keen on its prey. Hikari felt chills running up her spine, FEAR, yet forced herself to brave the coming onslaught. Asuka's facial expressions darkened, her eyes shifting from a multitude of emotions; her shoulders rose slightly and the muscles on her jaw tensed. Passing a death glare at her bestfriend seated across the table who was frozen in a mixture of fear and concern; Asuka closed her eyes unexpectedly, bowing her head and turning away from Hikari slightly.

Hikari had multiple scenarios running through her head, she had seen Asuka in this state before; during their student days. This is a dangerous situation, she remembers as one guy from another class that had a terrible crush on the german girl who had tried to win her attention by braving the odds and out of the blue just planted a kiss on Asuka's cheek. The boy ended in the hospital, unable to eat solid food for two weeks. She expected to be tackled, pummeled to oblivion. the thought made her flinch, the woman before her is fully capable of unleashing violence. Yet,..

Asuka sighed deeply, all hatred and guilt washed seemed to go with her breath. She slowly looked up to Hikari who had been standing by now with genuine concern plastered allover her face. Asuka had tears starting to flow down her cheeks, her eyes betrayed her broken heart. Hikari rushed to her friends side and gave her a sisterly hug. The simple action was too much for the other girl who immediately broke down and was crying openly on Hikari's shoulder. With no word spoken, both girls stayed like this for a couple of minutes, Asuka breaking down badly and being consoled by Hikari.

**The Den, at the heart of Straggler Town;**

**Mindanao, Philippines;**

**Same day;**

A few people were occupied the Den at the moment, quite depraved of activity as other patrons were still out in the wastelands either scavenging for scraps or looting newly discovered areas that still had some things of value. The place was far from being really called a decent bar, in fact it was a makeshift structure; scavenged steel rods cannibalized from other structures formed its frame and had metal sheets as walls and roof made from flattened out gasoline barrels all welded together. The structure in the end looked like a small aircraft hangar, adorned with colored lights on the inside furnished with squeaky wooden chairs and some tables and had a counter common in bars during the pre-Instrumentality era.

Shinji walked over the counter and took his usual seat and settled. Fishing out a newly opened pack of Camel, he took one stich from the pack and lighted it before setting the pack on the counter top. The barkeep from behind the counter walked over to Shinji's spot and placed a worn-out tin aluminum ashtray that had been dented and scraped, after which, he then set a large blurry mug half-filled with ice cubes and a jug of a very strong rhum commonly cold _"LiverKill" _for its potency. Shinji gave the barkeep a wolfish grin and a nod of approval before pouring himself

a mug-full.

"So, what's new in town Emilio?" Shinji spoke between puffs of his cigarette.

Emilio Rodriguez the barkeep, was a fairly fat man in his late forties. Sporting a frizzy mess of hair on his head and a scrubby stubble on his chin. Though the guy looked intimidating, he was kinda light-hearted and merry. Formerly a bad ass street brawler during his younger years after the Second Impact had plunged the country into civil strife; his reasons for suddenly settling in and becoming a barkeep was forever a mystery to the younger man.

The barkeep returned the mug he had been wiping to the rack behind him and turned to Shinji, though wearing a cheerful smile, his eyes were dead serious.

"Well, for starters, Turko the rat dropped by yesterday and mentioned some _suits_ were runnin' 'round south." He paused and lighted a cigar before continuing. "Also added that they were lookin' for you."

Shinji took a long swing from his mug and roughly placed the mug on the counter-top. Turko the rat was a lot of things packed in a small body frame, an excellent information gatherer and had connections in every part of the town. If some new faces show up, Turko would know firsthand. This had made the young Ikari space out for a few moments before fishing a hundred worth bill from his jacket pocket and slid it across the counter which the barkeep swiftly picked-up and made vanish in his pockets.

"Who did you fuck-up this time Shinji?" the barkeep drawled while wiping another mug, not bothering to look up. "I bet it's the _Tigers_, wanting payback. Don't those guys ever give up?"

"The _Tigers, _relentless as they may be, are not reckless." Shinji replied, after blowing a cloud of smoke, "They would think twice before waving their red flag-"

Shinji was caught in mid-sentence when his animal senses flared. He picked up the scent of cheap men's cologne in the air which was getting stronger. As if on cue, Emilio's head shot-up while cautiously eyeing the two men in black suits that confidently entered his bar and were walking up to him. Shinji on the other hand was calmly assessing the situation, all the while observing the barkeep's actions who had carelessly leaned on the cash register in front of him like he was one lazy bartender, Shinji knew that Emilio had one hand resting on the vintage M16 rifle that was ever present under the counter.

One of the _"suits" _stopped half-way from the door and the bar which was at most twenty feet away while the other had now stood near the counter, face stoic and emotionless- yet carried that _"I'm a professional, don't cross with me!" _aura and peering at the barkeep behind dark tinted glasses. Emilio eyed the man before him then faked a smile, showing nicotine stained teeth.

"What can I do for you today friend?" the barkeep's gruff drawl emanated, "You and your friend in for a drink? or women? If it's the latter boys, you'd have to go down to Lady Red's. You can't miss it, just down the road to the right if you go out the door."

"We need some information on a missing person." The black suited man coldly spoke, "We'll compensate you for your trouble."

Emilio's brows shot up, disbelief plastered clearly allover his face, then was replaced by a frown as he got his game face on.

"And who might that person you be findin'?" the barkeep asked monotonely, "Quite a few people really reside here. If the person you're lookin' for is from here and not some scavenger, then good chance we find him."

The man in the suit shifted a little then calmly slipped a hand in his jacket and produced a neatly rolled wad of IC Bills bounded by a rubber band then offered it to the barkeep, still leaning on the cash register.

"His name is Shinji Ikari." The man in the suit replied.

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><p>End Chapter 1: Memories<p>

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><p>Author's Notes: Well, what do you know,.. managed to finish the first chapter. Hopefully I'd have the second one up sooner! anyways,... 'till next time.<p>

Terms used:

**IC Bills** - International Credit Bills; the new standard in payment outside one's country in this timeline as banks and economy went haywire post 3I. Accepted by banks around the globe (or whats left of it).


	3. Chapter 2: The Return

_Disclaimer: This is a Fanfiction based on the Anime Series Neon Genesis Evangelion and some of Marvel's Wolverine: Weapon X fused in one timeline. I do not own the characters._

Warning: _Sexual Content_ in the chapter.

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><p><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji is….. Weapon X <strong>

**Chapter 2: The Return,..**

Upon hearing his name, Shinji's head whipped towards the NERV agent who was standing at four arms' length away from where he sat. He studied the agent for a bit, clearly an Asian, about late twenties, broad shoulders, medium built and stood five foot ten at most. His imposing figure screamed government all over, yet Shinji had a knot in his stomach that the man before him was not of that sort. Not saying anything at the moment, the young Ikari took a long drag on his cigarette then puffed-off the smoke in a very calm manner, eyes not straying from the agent and the other who was standing still not far behind.

"Any information regarding mister Ikari will be paid-" the agent paused and indicated to the neatly rolled bills on his right hand while talking to the barkeep who had slightly backed-up and had his arms crossed over his chest.

From the corner of his eye, Emilio watched as Shinji as he discreetly flicked his thumb as he took the half-burnt cigarette from his mouth then discarded the ashes that was building-up. The barkeep nodded, understanding what he had implied; offering his open right hand then swiftly tucking away the neat roll of ICBs in the cash register as the agent had promptly handed over. He then raised his right hand and pointed to Shinji who was at this time wearing a wolfish grin while refilling his empty mug.

The man in black turned to Shinji, studying him from head to toe. Surprised that the young Ikari before him did not bear traces of what was in his file. Gone were the innocence that once trailed on his eyes, the childish features now covered with a _rougish_ look. To shorten his description, the young Ikari before his presence looked feral.

"What do you need?" Shinji asked in a calm tone.

"Mister Ikari, You are to come with us." The agent replied, "You are allowed twenty four hours to pack your things and do what you need to do before leaving this…. Region, provided that we will accompany you in your destinations."

Shinji raised an eyebrow then turned to the agent, peering through his dark tinted glasses.

"Look Bub, do you expect me to just get up and go?" Shinji said between puffs of his recently lit cigarette. "Who the hell sent you?"

"NERV." The agent replied casually, "By orders of Sub-Commander Katsuragi, and with the approval of Commander Fuyutsuki himself."

It was as if the temperature dropped to zero as the agent's words sank in. Shinji felt a whirlwind of emotions stir up deep inside him. He set his cigarette absentmindedly on the ashtray before lifting the mug full of hostile liquid and chugged it down in one draw. Emilio eyes widened at the sight, but kept silent as his voice iced on him. No one in his fifteen years of managing the Den had successfully chugged a mug-full of _LiverKill _in one draw and hold it- hell, no one even had survived two mugs and left the premises. One mug was enough to knock a man out-cold, yet Shinji had already downed four and the fifth in one draw.

The barkeep looked at Shinji with interest after he set the mug down on the counter forcefully, then cringe at the burning sensation that assaulted his throat then pause with a faraway look in his eyes. For the first time, a peaceful look caressed the features of the troubled young man.

Memories coursed through Shinji's brain vividly, most was occupied with an all too familiar brash, loud and energetic red-head. His thoughts coursed to events post 3I, the beach, then, months after to their confessions of love for one another which was followed by their first kiss under the moonlight. Flashbacks continued; their constant childish bickering, fights then making up and the specific time during their third kiss which ended leaving bits of clothing strewn about in the room of an abandoned shelter.

[_Shinji's Flashback_ ]

_The night was cold, the wind howling in an eerie fashion outside. Two bodies moved in a rhythm in the only room of the house that once sheltered a family, possibly a couple. Their breathing ragged as intense pleasure was building up within their frames. Shinji and Asuka had reached this phase in their relationship; they had long accepted the shortcomings of the other. _

_"Ahh,.. Mmmm…!" Asuka moaned as she straddled on top of Shinji Ikari, Her movements were graceful as she sensually grinded her hips, gradually increasing speed. Shinji had held on her side, just above the forming curve above Asuka's hips. His eyes toured the nakedness of the goddess that was above him, she had him pinned on the bed; her hands resting on his chest for support. Her face half hidden from his position was contorted with ecstasy, as she drew back and a sharp moan escaped from her throat._

_Shinji began to slide his hands gently along her sides and ended on her perfectly round breasts which had caught his attention. He massages both firm globes and was awarded by a series of quick moans from his loved one. Feeling confidence, Shinji encircled his arms around Asuka and pulled her down, she complied; momentarily stopping her grinding. The boy had pulled her into a passionate kiss, then rolled both of them to switch places. _

_Asuka felt Shinji break the kiss, and opened her eyes to find Shinji looking through hers. Pure love, concern and happiness shone within the boy's darker blue orbs._

_"So, the mighty Shinji Ikari wants to be on top." Asuka said, her voice quivering from the pleasure surging within her being. "I'll allow it only in these circumstances, Third child."_

_Shinji said nothing, but smiled at her and proceeded to plant wet kisses on her neck, and tracing them downwards, towards her chest and eventually on her left breast, pausing momentarily to check on the reddish-pink nub of flesh that like a proud queen was standing defiant in his presence. His tongue darted to commend its boldness, and enclose it with his lips gently and lightly sucked. _

_"Ahhhhh…." Asuka moaned as waves of pleasure came rushing in from her left nipple._

_Shinji had released his captive and proceeded to conquer the adjacent "queen", eliciting more prolonged moans from Asuka; Satisfied, Shinji returned his attention on Asuka's lips, both teens shared another passionate kiss while Shinji started to move, rocking back and forth steadying his pace, gradually increasing his movement. Asuka emitted a stifled moan in the kiss as she felt Shinji moving in her womanhood, assaulting her with intense waves of pleasure._

_"Gott!,.. Ohhh,… Oh my-" Asuka's words caught in her throat as she arched her back when an intense orgasm surged through her body, Shinji followed with his own seconds later. A smile formed on Asuka's lips as she felt a spurt of warmness filling her sensitive treasure. Shinji collapsed on top of her, his breathing deep and ragged; both of them staying like this for a few moments before Shinji dislodged himself and slid off her body gently then turning to lie on his back. Asuka turned to her right and draped her right leg over Shinji while her hand gently caressed his chest._

_"I love you Asuka." Shinji looked down on his girlfriend who had now rested her head on his chest and had a sudden interest on his left nipple, tracing gentle circles on it with her right index finger._

_"Baka Shinji" She replied sweetly, "Tell me something I do not know."_

_"Like what?" Shinji said innocently, "You're much more intelligent than I am."_

_A dignified "Hmmph" came from the girl, yet not in an annoyed manner._

_"Say some things like…" She paused, "Was it good? How many times did you cum? Lets do it in the shower next time?!"_

_Shinji felt his face turn a few shades of red that would put Eva-02 to shame, his ability to talk had left him in an instant. Asuka turned to look and a sweet laugh escaped her mouth which Shinji returned with a sheepish smile. A few moments later both teens had recovered from their activity, deprived of strength; contented and happy. They stayed silent and exchanged smiles dripping with honey before their tired bodies took over and blessed them with a deep and dreamless slumber._

_[End of Flashback]_

Shinji had been returned to the present time by someone clearing his throat. He turned to see that it was the agent who purposely done so to pull him from his spacing out. He just stared at the man and returned to his mug, filling it again. He took the cigarette that had almost been forgotten, half of it burned away in a heap of ash on the tin tray.

[_'Will they accept me?'_] Shinji screamed in his head,_ 'An animal like me?'_

[_'What is their purpose in bringing me back?'_]this thought brought a frown on his face, [_'To pilot EVA again?'_]

"Mister Ikari, the twenty-four hours allotted time starts now." the agent interrupted, only to receive cold air as Shinji ignored his presence.

[_'I guess its time to face my demons.-'_]Shinji thought, _'-and Asuka, I HAVE to face Asuka. I would have to accept her hate, but to the ends of this god forsaken planet; its better than leaving her out of the loop.'_

"Mister Ikari we ar-"

"Stop." Shinji interrupted, an annoyed expression crossed his features. "You leave me no choice. I will come with you, just follow me and do not do anything until we are airborne."

Shinji then stood and once more, chugged the _LiverKill _in one long draw. This time, gently placing the empty mug on the counter top. He smiled lightly at Emilio, tossing him a gold coin that he had always carried. It was a token that he had acquired during a stint in _South-West Sparta _as a Black Ops specialist, the coin signified a lot of painful and violent memories; memories that he will forever carry. The barkeep swiftly caught the item with both hands and inspected the item carefully; he then looked up to Shinji and replied with a smile of his own.

"So," Emilio drawled, "This is goodbye to my favorite customer then, don't forget to write."

The young Ikari and the barkeep laughed heartily for a few moments before Shinji slowly turned to leave, not bothering to motion the two agents to follow. He exited through the swing doors of the structure and headed towards his motorcycle which was parked nearby. The agents hurriedly entered the SUVs parked across the dirt road and as soon as Shinji started his bike and sped off, the SUVs followed behind at a close distance.

**Outside NERV, The Parking Lot,**

**Tokyo-03, Japan**

**_A few hours later,…._**

Asuka had exited NERV and had reached the parking lot, she fished for the keys of her red Lamborghini Murciellago then pressed the button on the personalized anti-theft remote. The familiar bleep filled her ears and she hurriedly strode towards her beloved car. Parked beside it was a Blue and heavily modified Mitsubishi Evolution III, Asuka paused to eye the vehicle and a smug grin formed on her lips.

_'That's the reason I learned to drive.'_ Asuka thought, relieving the memories that Misato had imprinted on her brain; It was after all the dust of the Angel War and SEELE had settled, Misato had been compensated by NERV generously. Asuka could remember the older woman's maniacal smile when they had bought the Evo, and it had given her nightmares even just by sitting on the passenger's seat.

"Hmmph! See if you could out-run me now!" Asuka proudly raised a fist in the air, while sneering at the Evo. With a satisfied grin, she walked over to the driver's side of her Murciellago and opened the door.

"Asuka?" a deep male voice called from behind her.

Asuka looked up and turned towards the source of the voice, she raised an eyebrow at the owner and smiled at the guy. He was quite the heart-throb, foreign, single and very rich, and to top it all; one of the famous male celebrities around. Asuka kept the raised eyebrow and a sultry grin formed on her lips, she never took her eyes off the man as he confidently walked towards her. He is tall at six foot three with a dangerous mix of blond hair, blue eyes and a well sculpted muscle set; he definitely had turned the female EVA pilot's head his way.

"Alex Graves." Asuka flatly stated, "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping to surprise you?" Alex beamed a charming smile, "Dinner tonight?"

"I'm working on some research Alex."

"Oh, that broke my heart?" he paused, "I was thinking of Schroeder's Ice Castle?"

Asuka raised both brows in surprise, Schroeder's was the MOST expensive hotel and restaurant in the whole of Tokyo-03, and the most famous world-wide. They had recently opened a branch In Japan after the peace treaty between three main government powers (_Republic of Sparta, Camelot and NERV_) had been signed and enforced. Trade and commerce had flourished since then, and among the after effects were lavish establishments and other businesses sprouting all-over Japan. The red head sported a friendly smile.

"Pick me up at seven thirty." Asuka stated confidently then turned on her heel with grace and elegantly entered her car. She started the ignition and the sleeping beast answered with a gratifying purr, Asuka peered at the rear-view mirror to view her date; who had noticed her and was giving off a toothy smile before dramatically retreating to his Porsche Carrera parked nearby and sped off.

"This is gonna be interesting." Asuka muttered.

It was still four o'clock in the afternoon, she pondered on her thoughts about the coming date then maneuvered her car casually for the exit then gunned the pedal launching the red Murciellago towards hazardous speeds. The neighborhood she currently lives in was a forty-five minute ride from NERV, yet she managed to arrive at her house unscathed in twenty-two minutes (_with curses and terrified shrieks from other drivers along the way._). Asuka hated to be late, she also needs a lot of time to prepare; and in a date, she prepares to look her best.

_Meanwhile,…_

A man in black robes with red trims walked in a dim corridor eerily lit with dull green lighting coming from powerlines that criss-crossed along the walls and ceiling, and is shielded by clear crystal. The sight looked like it came from those sci-fi movies in which a character ventured inside an alien ship. The man strode peacefully, as if all the time in the world was with him; under the hood, he had grayish skin, possibly due to lack of sunlight. His eyes were steel gray, and had a skinny build; cropped chocolate brown hair that fell unattended. The man's aura throws mystery, eeriness and death- if someone _"average"_ were to describe him, he looked like the grim reaper of old story books.

The man walked along the silent corridor and paused as the narrow corridor split in two, the left stretching far and looked unending; it was likewise with the right. He took the right and walked for a couple of minutes, he passed by steel doors; rooms constructed behind the steel walls with ghostly green lights. The corridor came to an end with a double door; it was unlike the others which had deadlocks and specialized doorknobs, this double door had been equipped with arterial scanners and a card scanner. He paused and shakily put his left hand over the scanner, the familiar screech echoed through the empty corridor and the click that signified his authorization. He then withdrew a metallic card which actually looked like a circuit board with an electronic strip from underneath the robes then inserted it on the card slot just above the scanner pad, the LED indicator flashed green then the sounds of hydraulic locks hissed as he double door slowly opened; revealing the inside as a huge laboratory.

The robed figure quickly strode inside, he looked around and broke into a malicious smile. In the lab were technicians in black overalls and scientists with the standard white lab gowns. He further inspected the huge bio-tanks that contained liquid, and in those tanks were humans; sedated and had rebreathers attached to mechanical arms. These humans, clones or _acolytes_ as they were fondly called had ocular implants on their eyes; and a protective visor over them. In a slumber, they had tubes of sorts attached to specific points in their bodies and on their backs were surgically grafted power generators that had a red orb the size of a baseball.

"_Nur_ Saga…" a chilling voice pulled the robed figure out of his bliss while he thoroughly inspected the specimens in the tanks. He turned to the other robed figure that had interrupted his tour.

"What is it that troubles you? _Vec_ Yul." Saga replied in a monotone voice which sounded like a hiss yet a little louder than a whisper.

"Nothing troubles the scholar High Priest." Yul stated in his usual chilling tone, "Just to inform you that we are on schedule. The first fifteen are ready."

Saga patted the scholar lightly on the right shoulder, his face twisted in an imposing smile.

"That is indeed pleasant news, scholar." Saga stated while leaving his hand on the scholar's shoulder. "Tell Wur Charon we will proceed as planned. Blessings of the Dark God of the Black Egg of Life be upon you."

The scholar Yul bowed deeply as the priest slowly withdrew his hand and turned to move away. _Nur_ Saga followed the retreating for of the scholar as he evaded techs and scientists bustling about the lab. After he could no longer see the other robed figure, _Nur_ Saga turned and stood in front of a bio-tank to his right. He caressed the glass and looked at the sedative induced specimen inside, another twisted smile formed on his lips.

"The enlightened one shall be pleased." He spoke to himself, "Soon, we shall find the missing pieces and soon we shall cleanse the impurity from the souls of those who walk this planet. Soon we will finally be pure!"

Then a maniacal laugh erupted from his throat, which echoed through the lab.

**Bob's Airstrip **

**Mindanao, Philippines;**

**1930H, same day**

A NERV VTOL Airbus had just landed in the desolate airstrip and Shinji had been lost in shock at the sight. He had never expected an airbus to arrive, he had expected the usual NERV Cargo flyer to come but the unexpected left him speechless and open mouthed. He then composed himself as the engines slowly powered down, and the ramp at the rear end of the aircraft opened then four burly utility crewmen exited the down the ramp and started to guide the SUVs that were about to go up the ramp.

Shinji sighed and started his motorcycle towards the ramp, after the SUVs had been secured, Shinji had maneuvered his motorcycle in the spacious cargo bay. The four utility men instantly worked in securing his bike firmly to holds on the flooring. The young Ikari blew a muffled whistle as he looked at the very spacious cargo bay before turning to leave. He looked-up to see the agent that had talked to him at the bar earlier had followed him yet stood at a respectful distance just off the ramp and motioned for him to follow as had come near, both men made their way towards the mobile stairs and climbed aboard.

"Whoah" Shinji stifled under his breath. His right eyebrow shot-up in surprise at the interior of the aircraft.

The Airbus was designed as a luxury transport to carry Top NERV officials as well as local government officials to destinations out country either on official meetings with foreign dignitaries or group confidence building amongst staff. It was a flying five star hotel. He turned towards the exit in time to see the other agents entered and a beautiful petite Japanese stewardess closed the hatch and pressed the codes to seal the airlock. Shinji opted to seat next to the agent that he had been talking to earlier, as he had taken his seat; he had another surprise as the agent extended his hand in a handshake and smiled.

"I am Special Agent Toshiro Satoshi, NERV Section 2, Head Agent." He said in a cheerful tone.

"Now that's nice, thought you guys always have sticks up your asses." Shinji said while taking the hand and giving it a brief shake.

"Nah, on the field; we are. Downtimes? we boys maximize on the free time."

"First, why am I on this flying palace and not the regular flight?" Shinji drawled.

"Sub-Commander Katsuragi's idea." was the quick reply.

"She wanted to go with this flight but Commander Fuyutsuki denied her," the agent added, "Saying that you might run-off from the sight of her."

While the agent's tone was reluctant, Shinji cringed yet brushed it off. They still had thought that he was still the cowering boy of fourteen; but that boy had died, his innocence had been forcefully taken away- he was now a hardened animal, a predator. He eyed the agent who now had a reluctant smile, so as to lighten the mood; Shinji had asked for updates on events after his _"disappearance", _which the agent had cheerfully obliged.

Shinji would give the occasional surprised looks at points and hints concerning the lives of the people who he once knew and lived with. Though he had never expected that Asuka had made her way on becoming a worshipped public figure which piqued his interest, he had also kept a neutral face upon hearing that Kaji Ryoji, the man he had connected and briefly looked up to as a father figure had passed away protecting Misato during the civil strife that erupted two years after his disappearance. After all topics were covered, Shinji turned on his seat, pondering on all the information he had received; the agents that had escorted him were throwing jokes by now, but he wasn't listening- He was zoning out on a world of his own until he slowly drifted to a light dreamless sleep.

He was later roused as the friendly "ding" followed by a sultry female voice announced…

[Attendant on PA] : _Goodevening, we have just arrived at NERV VIP Landing bay 01, Tokyo-03. I Hope you had a good flight…_

The rest of the woman's speech was drowned as Shinji's mind focused his thoughts. He breathed deeply, this is the start on his quest to face whatever demons he had left in Tokyo-03.

* * *

><p>Author's notes: <em>Phew! <em>the second chapter of Shinji is Weapon X... hope you have fun reading. _ciao,..._

Terms Introduced:_  
><em>

Sparta - formerly the U.S.A.

South-West Sparta - composed of the ruined states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California; its capital Silver Eagle City (Carson). "..._SW Sparta where a meteorite impacted sometime in 2013; it had carried a chunk of adamantium and was recovered through loss of innocent lives... - Shinji; Weapon X"_

Camelot - formerly Great Britain, Seat of Government of Arthur's Legion; formed an alliance with NERV six years after 3I, a year after the end of the great civil war of 2021.

Nur - High Priest of the Black Suns.

Vec - Scholar, Researcher and Engineer.

Wur - Taskmaster; (_ex._ Captain for Military)


	4. Chapter 3: Familiar Faces

_Disclaimer: See Previous Chapters,…_

* * *

><p><strong>Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji is….. Weapon X <strong>

**Chapter 3: Familiar Faces**

**…**

**…**

**…**

**NERV VIP Landing Pad 01,**

**Tokyo-03, Japan**

**2245H, same day**

The NERV Airbus touched down gently on the VIP Landing pad, it was secluded on the top of the surface facility of the installation which housed the public relations offices and other sections that were purposely to cater to the public (NERV had become the TOPMOST government of Japan post 3I with the JSSDF under it.). The entire complex occupied a large area and had its personal airport out back. There were three VIP landing pads on the top of the wide superstructure, pads 2 and 3 leads directly to living quarters with amenities fit for a king, unlike pad 1 which led directly to the reception hall before entering a heavily guarded hall straight towards the surface office of the NERV Director.

Shinji fidgeted awhile on his seat, unsure of how he will act when he would come face to face with the people he had not given a respectful goodbye, he had valid reasons for his disappearance; it he still felt nervous. It was minutes later that he had noticed Special Agent Satoshi standing by the opened hatch, the other agents had already disembarked; but Satoshi stayed behind and dutifully waited for Shinji and was looking at him questioningly. Shinji passed the agent a tired nod, catching up to the unspoken question. He heaved deep sigh and stood up, bringing himself to his full five foot eleven height; Shinji mustered enough courage and strode confidently towards the exit.

The young Ikari felt his breath snagged in his throat as he saw the electronic double door swing open about a hundred feet away from him. He had seen Commander Fuyutsuki go through the door with Dr Ritsuko Akagi trailing closely behind; the other figure was a mixture of black, red and purple blur which in a few moments collided against his chest, engulfing him in a tight bear hug. The familiar lavender perfume choking his senses despite the heavy wind blow on the open deck. He stood, frozen in shock; still looking towards the entrance that now lay empty as Commander Fuyutsuki and Dr Akagi had slowly neared their spot. Shinji noticed that Dr Akagi was a bit teary eyed and attempted to hide it but failing miserably.

"Welcome back Shinji-kun" Commander Fuyutsuki said in calm manner.

Shinji just smiled and nodded, a silent _thank you _which was returned by the elder male with an understanding smile. The younger man felt the embrace loosen, he looked down on Misato who was looking deeply into his eyes, tears had been flowing freely and were running down her cheeks but still held him in a motherly embrace.

"Where have you been Shinji? Why? Why leave us without reason?" Misato spoke shakily, her voice breaking badly.

"A lot of reasons Misato-san" Shinji spoke in a sad tone, "I will tell you after I have sorted everything out."

"Asuka had taken the damage of your leaving the worst." Misato returned, her voice a little more composed.

At the mention of her name, Shinji's emotions battled furiously within him; tearing him apart slowly from the inside, though he kept this from showing with sheer will power and a cool demeanor.

"Knowing Asuka, she probably thinks I bailed out on her." Shinji breathed out, his emotions almost taking over.

Misato had released the embrace slowly, her eyes not straying from his; She had let both her hands stay on his chest, a warm smile starting to form on her lips.

"You have to fix what was broken." She paused, "From the state that we had found Asuka as well as her side of the story, it seems that you had formed something good and she had almost lost herself when you disappeared."

Shinji had said nothing, he was at loss for words; images of an Asuka suffering from a broken heart threatened to overpower and break him down. Through his calm expression, Misato could see that his emotions were thundering behind the façade. She had also noted the occasional tensing up of his jaw muscles underneath the bushy beard that had grown to a certain length. Finally, Shinji let out a sad smile that trademarked a man that lost everything. Misato had taken the initiative to steer the conversation before both she and the younger man were swallowed by emotion.

"My, My, Shin-chan." She paused, stepping away a little and let her eyes take in the sight before her. "You have grown so much."

The purple haired Sub-Commander took notice of every detail. The boy who would have shied away in a dark corner, look away bashfully or just look down had gone. What have replaced the lost boy was a man, hardened by experience and time. She noted the weathered olive green biker's jacket, the black and tattered skin-hugging sweatshirt he wore underneath which she immediately identified as those worn by military Special Forces and also noted the glint of a Dog Tag chain on his neck. Her eyes roamed further towards the utility belt that had pouches which obviously contained items she would have to ask what; and the worn-out denim pants that fitted his well built legs perfectly. His frayed beige Delta Assault boots had also caught her attention as well as the form-fitting leather gloves that covered his hands.

She was about to throw another set of questions when the commander cleared his throat which demanded attention. Misato and Shinji turned towards the elder male who stood in his usual pose; hands behind his back and was wearing a smile.

"Well, I guess that should be enough for tonight?" the commander stated, "I think our lost sheep needs a rest. He would have a VERY long day tomorrow."

With everything said, the four of them made their way in the complex; with Misato attempting to convince Shinji to crash in her new place. The conversation led to Dr Akagi's lecture of indecency and other scandalous implications which elicited a suppressed laughter from the commander and a confused Shinji.

_In another part of Tokyo-03…._

Asuka had slammed the door to her room, she had been fuming mad from the date that she came from. The sudden proposal from Alex Graves had taken her off guard and she had been in a loss for words that moment, and Asuka was the type of woman that hated to be in such circumstances. Her anger was further fueled with the sudden appearance of the press, the flashing cameras and the ambush interviews. Behind all this, Graves was still over confident, she felt Alex had used her in a crazy publicity stunt; and when the media was focused on Alex, she made her way towards the exit. It had almost been a smooth getaway when one reporter had spotted her _discreet _escape and had chased her; all hell broke loose as the press went charging after her. Not a pretty sight, but common amongst celebrities of her stature.

Tired and stressed out, Asuka absentmindedly stripped from her white dress and fell on her bed in a miserable heap. She lay prone and propped her chin on a soft pillow and slowly slid her arms under it, her mind was a mixture of thoughts; from Alex Graves to the date and the tragedy that followed.

'Damn fool used me!' she screamed in her mind, 'The idiot and his damn publicity stunt.'

She pondered in thought about the complications that will hit tomorrow's headlines; it sure will be ugly. Asuka buried her head in the pillow and a muffled scream erupted, she did this until she was too tired to force another scream. Feeling a little better, she tossed on the bed to lay flat on her back; facing the ceiling. Her head strayed towards her right and found herself looking at the nightstand, on top of it; was a picture frame, taken the night after their lava mission. Asuka reached for the frame and brought it close; the picture showed Misato on the background beaming a toothy smile, encircling her and Shinji in a friendly hug. The boy had attempted to shy away but was held in place by her right arm in a headlock while her left was doing a victory sign. Both teens were still wearing their _plugsuits_ in this one.

Asuka's thoughts had wandered, she remembered it was Maya who had taken this picture after the successful "_Shinji Suicidal Lava Dive_" as she had fondly called it, she remembered the boy reddening a few shades of red when she mentions it. She hadn't notice that tears were unconsciously flowing from her eyes until they were pooling on her ears. She returned the picture on the nightstand and faced it down, with a heavy heart; she cried herself to sleep.

….

….

….

**Asuka's Home**

**Tokyo-03 Exclusive Estates,**

**0615H; 11 October 2024**

_She had been standing on a grassy hill, the smell of morning dew and the gentle warmth of sunlight caressed her creamy skin. The winds were soothing, very relaxing as it blew her white sundress around; uncaring if anyone had been watching from the trees at the distance, as her dress danced about and flashed her red underwear to the world. Off to the horizon, she could see the fine beach stretching across and the sea as blue as her eyes. All was serene, when suddenly a bloodcurdling screamed echoed across the plains to her left. _

_Asuka quickly turned towards the sound, her heart pounding in her chest at the hint of danger. Then from the trees came a boy running for his life, his feet pushing at the ground with all the strength they were worth, it was like time slowed down as when out of the same clump of trees came a huge black wolf with eyes that glowed like an angel's core and shining with pure hate and malice. The wolf's jaws wide open and was filled with razor sharp teeth as it came charging with murderous intent focused on the unfortunate boy. _

_She flinched when the boy tripped and fell to the ground and in seconds was helplessly pinned by the wolf. Another scream erupted as the wolf found its mark, its jaws had clamped on the boy's right shoulder; and with a mighty tug, ripped flesh, exposing bones and torn muscles. The force of the tug flipped the boy to a prone position, and as a last attempt to escape; pulled at the ground, his left hand clawing dirt and grass. Frozen with terror, Asuka helplessly looked on, and felt herself faint as she saw his face- Shinji. The boy had been mouthing a cry for help at her, too weak to scream; loss of blood taking its toll. _

_A terrified scream boiled within her chest as the boy's eyes rolled-up in their sockets as his life left the mortal shell, and the wolf finishing off what was left._

_…._

_…._

_…._

Asuka awakened with a scream as her body jackknifed; her heart pounding as adrenalin surged through her body. She was sweating heavily, her breathing long and deep as the shock from the nightmare slowly subsided. She pulled her legs up and sat in a fetal position on the bed, pondering on the nightmare, everything was so vivid; the blood, the screams and his face. Slowly, Asuka lifted her head and looked around her room; golden rays of light had filtered through the window, she looked towards the alarm clock at her nightstand and it read six thirty.

_'What the fuck was that?!' _Asuka pondered on the nightmare, _'It felt so real….'_

_'It was like he was calling for ME?!' _she continued, feeling the familiar knot of dread rolling in her stomach.

Asuka collapsed on the bed; took several deep breaths for a few moments to purge the effects of the nightmare from her body before finally getting off the bed, not minding to fix the crumpled silk sheets and padded towards the bathroom for a warm shower to clear her mind.

**NERV Underground Facility;**

**Senior Staff Quarters;**

**A few minutes later,..**

Shinji had just finished changing, he had downed an MRE with a mug of brewed coffee. It was a new custom that he had developed over the years, no time to cook a prepared meal and always on the go. He took the time to acclimatize to his temporary shelter, not that he had been restricted from staying in the Geofront; It was that he had nowhere to stay in the city at the moment. He had been tempted to jump at the offer to stay at Misato's, but Dr. Akagi's lecture seemed logical. He was no longer a kid, Misato though twice older had still retained the looks of a twenty nine year old; an odd gift from-

_'…Rei…' _Shinji thought, _'Until the last moments of her life, she had blessed those who had been around her with strange gifts.'_

_'Was this her idea of thanking those who were close to her? Friends?'_

The young man shook his head of the thoughts and continued to scan around his quarters. It had the striking resemblance to Misato's old apartment, except for a single room. Shinji had not bothered to clean house and went to fixing his belongings in the much smaller pad, he did not have much anyway. He had lost the organized and tidy side of him, an after effect of living in impoverished settlements where no matter how organized and tidy you were; you living conditions still did not look _"dignified"._

Satisfied for the moment, he took a moment to look himself over; he had worn a fresh black combat sweater and his moss green leather flight jacket, jeans and the same beige Delta assault boots. He ruffled through his already messy hair with his gloved right hand and gave his reflection a roguish grin.

"Looks the same, Feels the same." He said aloud to himself before exiting to the hall. Shinji had specifically chose the floor where all quarters were unoccupied; he was alone in this section of the living quarters as there were less personnel that opted to stay in the mentioned facility.

He had wandered through the hallways a few minutes, taking his time to note the changes in the facility until he eventually found himself in the more familiar recreational area. A thought crossed his mind and he swerved right to the first hallway he had encountered and came face to face with-

"SHINJI, YOU SHIT!" a baritone voice boomed from the figure he almost collided with while making the turn. "WHEN THE FUCK DID YOU RETURN TO THE PLANE OF THE LIVING?!"

Shock, disbelief and delight crossed the features of the man wearing a skin hugging suit, black accentuated with white stripes and showing the well-toned muscles on a six foot two frame. Both men locked gazes for awhile then Shijni broke into his usual wolfish grin and teetered a little as the taller man gave him a forceful whack on left shoulder.

"Its been a while Touji, I arrived last night. Rush order." Shinji simply stated, "Still pilot EVA?"

"Damn right!" the other man exclaimed sharply in his Osakan accent, "Not EVA at the moment though, them beasts are on lockdown since the _restoration period._"

Shinji nodded thoughtfully and raised a brow on what Touji added afterwards.

"It's SHADOWs we ride on these days."

"Shadow?" Shinji's eyes narrowed, trying to comprehend his friends revelation. "We?"

"Yeah, way smaller than EVA but still works the same." Touji paused, "As for WE, yes. Me and….. Askua."

Touji's voice trailed as he mentioned her name, unsure of how his friend will react. Both of them stood in silence as a long and thoughtful look appeared on Shinji's face and casted weary eyes to the floor. The taller male keenly noting the changes time had brought upon Shinji.

'Looks like he's not the sniveling kid I used to know.' Touji thought.

He continued his thorough observation on the other man but was pulled from his trance when the other man heaved a sigh and uncaringly swiped his right hand over his head, gloved fingers combing through dark brown hair that looked like it hasn't met a comb in years. Shinji turned slowly towards Touji sporting a neutral face, which later had creased a little as his eyes narrowed slightly.

"So, Its SHADOWs." he paused, "Care to explain?"

"I would, but I'm really on my way to the conference hall." Touji stated flatly, "Commander called in an unscheduled conference, class one personnel only."

"In a plugsuit?" Shinji asked quizzically.

"I was warming up my shadow when the call came in." the taller male quipped while checking the built-in digital clock on the suit, "Might be because of your arrival, didn't you get any conference notice?"

"No." came the flat answer, "Maybe because I'm not yet reinstated to NERV?"

Touji nodded accepting the scenario.

"Anyways, tag along." Touji smiled, "You will surely have the chance to meet her there."

Shinji's features darkened slightly, part of him screamed that it was still too early for meetings; but reconsidered, his arrival would surely cause a stir in NERV and eventually he would have to face her one way or the other. He looked over to Touji who had been staring at him with an expectant look, Shinji broke into a grin and gave a nod, the taller male started walking and he followed; both talking about time lost during his unscheduled "_exit"_ along the way, all the while Shinji evading his friend's inquiries on his activities during his sojourn on the outside world, leaving Touji more and more curious.

**Commander's Office;**

**NERV Geofront; Kilometers underground,**

**0740H, same day,..**

Significant changes were made to the Commander's Office, It was now bright and reflected Kozou Fuyutsuki's personality. It had been a glorious transition from when Gendo Ikari had once stepped in the place. At this time, some of NERV's class "one" personnel were present.

Kozou Fuyutsuki had buried his face into the palm of his right hand as two women bickered to his right. Half-amused and half-annoyed, he listened for a while as Dr. Akagi had given Sub-commander Katsuragi a lecture on responsibility and carelessness. The recipient of the lecture grinning childishly in an embarrassed manner. Fuyutsuki eyed the other personnel in the office who were seated to his left; the deck bunnies had sour faces as they looked towards their female superior officers.

"I can't believe you Misato." Ritsuko Akagi exclaimed sternly, "How could you forget to give Shinji the conference notice?!"

"I'm sorry Rits, I totally forgot." Misato replied in a squeak.

"This conference was supposed to be for his reinstatement AND he was supposed to receive his Kit and his service compensation." the blonde doctor's voice starting to raise its volume.

"Now, now Rits! He's temporarily staying at the SSQ? Let's just page him over the PA?" Misato spoke apologetically.

"Do YOU even remember what he said yesterday?!" Ritsuko said incredulously.

_'…I'm off early tomorrow to find a permanent place up there,…' _Misato's eyes went wide as she remembered Shinji's cheerful tone, her surprised look was replaced with an embarrassed look. Misato could only giver her friend a stifled laugh as veins began to sprout on the blonde doctor's forehead. Fuyutsuki's brow twitched, the deck bunnies heaved a defeated sigh in unison.

The commander was about to give his long speech when the hiss of the electronic door swung open to admit a fuming red-head woman followed by a shorter Japanese woman with a worried look on her face.

….

….

….

_Prior to Asuka's arrival,… _

Her day was starting to get better, after the refreshing shower and the filling breakfast of pancakes and hot chocolate; she was set. Asuka had worn a blood red and tight sleeveless top, its zipper which ended between her full breasts undone and showing off a magnificent cleavage. She paired this with a black leather skirt which hugged her wide hips and magnifying her awesome figure; the skirt- dubbed by Hikari as _"illegal to wear"_ as it had rested just a few inches from her crotch and threatening to give the male population a spectacular view. Asuka finished with chocolate brown gothic leather boots that reached three inches above her knee.

Feeling fabulous and ready to face another hectic day at NERV, she snatched her matching leather chocolate brown clutch purse and headed for the front door of her overly large house when a knock came. Asuka raised a brow and reluctantly reached for the knob and swung the door open, her face fell to a scowl when two agents from section two standing on her porch came to view.

"What?" the red head spat annoyingly.

One of the agents came forward calmly handed her a newspaper. Her eyes followed the neatly rolled paper and took it, flapping it open and the paper was reduced to shreds in seconds after a quick glance at the headline not bothering to read the entire article.

[TOKYO-03 BRASS EAGLE: **_"ASUKA LANGLEY SOHRYU SOON TO BE MRS GRAVES?"_**]

Her brows twitched and was about to shove the agent aside so she could get to her garage and speed away to work on her Murciellago when-

"Ma'am, I suggest you take this route." the agent gave her a GPS unit the size of a cigarette pack.

She violently snatched the thing from the agent's grasp and studied the 3D map and the green line indicating the pre-set route. Her usual route had been marked red starting from the main gate of the estate; she also noticed that the suggested route was longer and traversed the back gate that was exclusive for _Green Paradise_ estates residents only.

"And WHY should I circle around half of Tokyo-03 just to get to work?" Asuka snapped, her voice close to a shout.

"The front entrance to this estate is swarming with reporters as we speak. Ma'am." the agent replied with coolness. "All local TV Networks had sent their respective representatives, a total of fifty local reporters excluding foreign media."

Asuka's jaw dropped at the agent's revelation.

_'This IS getting out of hand!' _she inwardly screamed.

Anger surged through her being, she was close to exploding at the moment but was able to muster enough self-control. She hung her head in submission and trotted towards the garage after slamming her door and securing the lock. She started the Lamborghini, sure enough that no one can hear; she screamed to her heart's content in the car. After a few minutes and feeling the anger subside, she started the vehicle and recklessly maneuvered her car towards the asphalt road and sped her way towards the designated location on the GPS, following every marker that was provided by section two.

….

….

….

_Present time,…_

Asuka marched towards the nearest vacant seat and roughly sat, arms crossed beneath her breasts. Hikari immediately took a place beside her fiery friend just in case. No one said a word, with the angry red head in the zone one slip would lead to a barrage of obscenities and possible man handling. The room fell silent, only the heavy breathing of the red head and Hikari's hushed attempts at cooling the German's boiling anger is audible.

Nobody dared to say a word, until the hiss of the door; all heads except for Asuka turned towards the entrance to find Kensuke Aida enter the office in a hurry, his newly laundered orange coverall still halfway from being worn. He grinned sheepishly and received a _'You're late'_ glare from Hikari. The spectacled Chief Engineer withered and immediately took a seat beside Ritsuko. Upon being seated, Kensuke eyed everyone in the room carefully as he noticed the void; his eyes fell upon a scowling Asuka and took the initiative to shut up, knowing the reason behind the dead air.

Fuyutsuki decided to stall a little, at least until Asuka's aggression fizzles; eyeing the German, and seeing that she had kept a calm posture and was no longer pissed, he cleared his throat to mark the start of the conference.

"I called for this meeting for two main reasons." Fuyutsuki paused to look at each person present in the room to ensure that he has their full attention.

"First, as you know, we had suffered another terrorist attack last week." He continued.

"Though sudden, the attack was uncoordinated and the JSSDF had pacified the situation. We've had five of these attacks already, with no specific timeline and demands." The elderly commander turned to Misato, "Sub commander Katsuragi? What are the updates on these attacks?"

All attention shifted to the purple haired woman as she composed herself and prepared to deliver her report. She took a cardboard folder that she had been clutching all the while and flipped through a specific page on the neatly complied documents; she looked up and pursed her lips, her expression calm and all business.

"All these attacks were at random." she started, "The terrorists had been hitting points that have no military value and the locations are less populated. Though there have been confirmed civilian casualties, these guys clearly are trying to assess our readiness in counter-terrorism."

"How can you say that Katsuragi?" Fuyutsuki asked in his usual tone.

"Sir, if you may? I have uploaded data from the MAGI to your personal console."

The elderly man complied, he waved his right hand over the glass on his desk and a holographic keypad shimmered in place, as well as holographic screen behind his desk. The computer had also automatically dimmed the lighting inside the room to enhance the images projected. Fuyutsuki had found the file Misato had uploaded and opened it, instantly; cascading images began to float before them,

"Commander, if you could show attachment A?" Misato inquired.

The images arranged themselves as Fuyutsuki scrolled the images to the specified file. It was actually a three dimensional map, with red circles and dates labeling each. Everyone in the room now turned to the holographic image that was being shown.

"As you could see," Misato stepped closer the projection and traced a finger across the screen. "The attacks were at random locations but as you could notice, they are encircling the city."

Fuyutsuki nodded in acknowledgement.

"Next, attachment B?"

The images shuffled again on the screen and it now showed four graphic images of dead terrorists being hauled by JSSDF forces.

"All attackers were heavily armed with conventional weapons on the first four attacks." Misato paused and turned to the commander, "However, on the recent attack; they had doubled their numbers and had shown up with this."

The last image that was displayed was an armored vehicle, a tank with no turret but had a huge laser drill to its front; with an uncanny resemblance to Ramiel's drill.

"So far, Section Two has tracked that the Drill Tank came from the coast and dug directly towards its target." Misato stated swiftly, "MAGI estimated that it took the terrorists two weeks to reach residential cluster 01, which would take them forty eight hours of continuous drilling to breach the armor layers should they attempt to attack the Geofront. Dr Akagi will give the specifics of the tank."

Kouzou Fuyutsuki stared at the image of the drill tank, his thoughts focused to the drill part; he shifted his attention to Ritsuko as he noticed her moving towards the holo-image.

"As what the combined efforts of the Science and Engineering branches discovered was the tank was specifically designed as an all-terrain transport vehicle." Dr. Akagi droned, her eyes not wavering from the image. "The tank has composite armor capable of withstanding a torpedo on the first hit, its equipped with advanced stealth devices which was assumed the reason as to why JSSDF sensors missed it."

"It is capable of transporting twenty two persons and can travel sixty miles per hour underwater." She paused and looked towards the commander, who had become very interested. "The tank is also controlled by a four man crew; who committed suicide when JSSDF immobilized the tank before it could escape."

At this point; the rest of the group were have astonished looks on their faces, except for the Commander, Misato and Dr Akagi.

"It has no weapons and other counter-measures; which led us to think that it only relied on its stealth capabilities." the blonde doctor passed a look of acknowledgement towards Kensuke's direction.

"What about the Drill doctor?" Kozou asked, his tone somewhat holding back.

"The drill is a laser with a similar construction to that of the fifth Angel but is made from earth metals." Dr Akagi stated in a confirmatory note. "It is powered by an advanced generator using Ark Technology, but the construction and design was sloppy as if it was made in a rush."

This caught Misato's attention, who frowned as she scanned through her memory.

"Rits? Isn't Ark Tech Spartan?" she asked, her eyes narrowed slightly.

Kensuke Aida raised his hand to be acknowledged and stood up but did not move from where he sat. He adjusted his glassed before rendering his findings. Now, all the attention was directed towards him.

"It is Misato-san." He looked at Misato, and did his best to keep his eyes from straying towards the purple haired woman's abundant chest.

"But the generator we have recovered was made from scratch." Kensuke added.

"So, you are saying?" Misato shifted a little from her seat, and in the process unintentionally slipped Kensuke a slight view of baby pink underneath her ridiculously short skirt.

Kensuke Aida, the Chief Engineer of NERV summoned all his will power to prevent this conference from turning into a catastrophe. He feigned in taking off his glasses and wiping it with a handkerchief before wearing it again; adjusting it slightly for effect.

"The generators were possibly created from leaked designs as it lacked some features from the original." Kensuke replied and shrugged then sat down and turned to Dr Akagi.

"Thank you, Mr Aida." Ritsuko acknowledged, "That is all we have discovered from their tech."

Ritsuko made her way towards reclaiming her seat.

"To sum it all up sir, our enemy is still of unknown origin." Misato pointed out, "They have advanced weaponry but so far had not stressed out their demands."

"What do the bodies tell? Race? No faction connections?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"None sir, all the bodies were tagged and referred to allied Intel Units, nothing came up." Misato replied, "Its like they're all ghosts."

Fuyutsuki nodded in understanding, they were facing an unknown enemy with salvaged tech. His thoughts came running to old grudges from the other two factions, nothing fits; It had to be a new player, trying to prove itself. Finally submitting, he cleared his throat to prepare the group for the second part of the conference.

"The second objective of this conference is-" Fuyutsuki was cut in his sentence when the door hissed, all head turned towards the entrance to see Touji with an embarrassed look on his face.

Everyone in the room had forgotten that Touji Suzahara, the second Samurai Pilot had been missing the entire time. It was only at this point they had remembered his existence; particularly one member.

"SUZAHARA!" Hikari snapped, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN THE ENTIRE TIME?!"

"Uh,.. umm,…" came the meek stuttering from the male pilot.

"EXPLAIN YOURSELF TO THE COMMANDER IMMEDIATELY!" Hikari commanded, hands on her hips.

Toji had established a name of keeping cool under the scrutiny of his superior officers, and in combat. Seeing him squirm under Hikari Horaki, NERV's Chief Medical Doctor had effects on the others. Commander Fuyutsuki had been keeping himself from utterly laughing while Misato and Asuka were already having mischievous snickers. Kensuke was a different case as he had been cringing at the sight.

The subject pilot panicked and turned towards the door, seeing no one following him; he rushed back disappeared momentarily, Hikari was about to follow Touji but stopped when he reappeared with someone in tow. The room fell silent as Touji pushed the man he had dragged into the office, all eyes were on the newcomer. Seconds passed; no one moved, then the sound of steel clattering broke the silence as somebody shot up from being seated, unconsciously pushing the chair with force and toppled it violently on the floor.

...

...

...

[end Chapter 3]

* * *

><p>Author's notes: Note that at this point, the <em>Sons of the Black Sun <em>are still a _"Boogey Man" _faction and still working their way to be known.

Terms Introduced:

MRE - Meals, Ready to Eat (Military Standard Rations)


End file.
